


In From The Cold

by Missy



Category: Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Genre: Community: schmoop_bingo, F/M, Family, Humor, Jealousy, Pets, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-25
Updated: 2010-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-14 02:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/144346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brisco and Dixie spend the night together in a lean – to, inspite of the jealous protests of Comet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In From The Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Written for schmoop_bingo, challenge: "cuddling with pets".

They finally lost the bandits a few miles from Jalisco. Finding an abandoned lean-to a few miles down the trail seemed like a blessing; in Dixie’s words, a Godsend, because the temperature had dipped far below thirty degrees. She sat warming her feet and hands by the fire while Brisco tended to Comet.

“How’s he doing?” she asked when he came in.

“Sore that he can’t come in here,” Brisco said, putting down his hat and coat on the kitchen table and picking up a pear before lounging with her beside the fire. “I told him we don’t know who owns this place, but he’s never understood propriety when it comes to a warming his tail. I love him, but he can be awfully pushy when he wants something.”

“Maybe you should have him wipe his hooves before he comes in,” she suggested.

He raised a brow. And she called him soft-hearted. “Dix, we can’t bring Comet in here! He’ll leave prints all over the place, and we might need to leave fast. He might be educated, but he’s still a horse.”

She nodded. “All right,” she yawned and stretched as he scooted closer to her. “You know, I always wondered if the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?” she wrapped an arm around his neck.

“That making love by a fire makes you feel like you’re riding a rocket,” she teased, nuzzling his cheek. “I’ve always wanted to ride a rocket, Brisco. You’re as close as I’ve gotten so far...”

“Yeah…Uhhh…I mean, I think I already see ‘em,” Brisco said into her ear. “Blowing up out there in the sky…” he snuck a hand down her bodice.

She shivered. “Mm…reds and greens…and blues…and…COMET?”

They sprung apart at the sight of the horse standing in the doorway. He must have chewed open the rope binding him to the hitching post outside, Brisco realized.

“Comet!” Brisco scolded, “you get back to where you belong. Now git!” The horse whinnied stubbornly. “Comet…don’t give me that look.” A stamping of his hoof and a bob of his head. “The next time you cast eyes on a filly I’m going to remind you of this.” He groaned as the horse stamped his front hoof. “Aww, Comet, don’t beg me – you know I can’t let you in.” A nicker. “Why? Well, me and Dixie want to…sing a duet.” Another snort. “Yes, in private!” Another whinny. “No, I can’t tell you why!”

Dixie sat up, shivering. “Brisco, let him in before we turn into a couple of icicles.”

“I already feel like one,” Brisco murmured in dismay, letting his horse in. The evening had been suitably dimmed by the appearance of his horse. Comet, of course, was oblivious to Brisco’s discomfort. He pranced into the room and clambered to the table, eating every single pear and apple left on the table, then picking over the cold roast chicken they’d been eating. “Ya big mooch,” Brisco muttered.

Dixie stood up and walked to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. “We’ll always have the haystack, Brisco,” then, in his ear, she whispered, “And the back bedroom.”

A smile slowly spread across Brisco’s face at her words. “I’ll race you there,” he whispered in her ear.

“I’ll even give you a head start,” she purred back, kissing his neck before ducking out toward the back room.

***

Brisco yawned and stretched happily. Dixie was a warm, sleeping pink bundle beside him – the first time in weeks they had actually slept in the same room together. God, he missed her when he wasn’t with her – seeing her lying there in the lantern light he thought she really did resemble the ‘Golden Angel’ of Chinese Court legend. He ran a hand over her soft curves and let out a contented sigh. She nuzzled his shoulder and yawned.

“Night, Brisco.”

“Night, Dix.” He rolled over to blow out the oil lamp and instead bumped into something soft and fuzzy. “Night…Comet?”

They both flinched as the horse shoved Brisco’s free hand with his muzzle, trying to lie his head on his pillow. “COMET,” Brisco scolded. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him, Dix.”

“It’s more about what’s gotten into me,” Dixie replied. “I think he’s jealous of us.”

“Why would he be jealous of us? He loves you.” Comet nickered, as if to confirm that as the truth.

“Sure, when we’re standing up,” she pointed out. “He knows we’ve been spending an awful lot of time together. I think he thinks you’re neglecting him.”

Brisco frowned at the horse. “He needs to stop being a baby and go back to bed.” Comet’s ears flicked forward, which was, Brisco knew, horse for ‘no’. “C’mon, Comet, enough’s enough. We’ve gotta get up early tomorrow!”

Comet responded by nudging his head beneath Brisco’s arm, trying to snuggle up to his owner. Brisco gave the horse a half-bear hug, torn between wanting to groan and wanting to laugh at his antics.

“Let him stay,” Dixie suggested. “We’ll never get any sleep if you don’t. Besides, horseshoes around the bed are lucky.”

“That’s a horseshoe hung over the bed,” Brisco noted.

“Well, if he doesn’t go to sleep, that’s just where he’ll be – over the bed,” Dixie said.

Comet whinnied – he seemed to get the hint quickly. Brisco glowered at the horse; if he were called upon to testify, he would’ve sworn on a stack of Bibles that his equine companion was actually preening.

“All right. Bed down, boy.”

Comet – as if he were human – sat down with his legs carefully folded beneath him beside the bed. Then he placed his muzzle on Brisco’s chest, letting out a snort of contentment, dragging some of the blanket from Brisco’s shoulder to pull it over his back.

“Y’big lug,”Brisco repeated. “Comfortable?” Comet snorted.

“Sh,” Dixie whispered. “You’re destroying my beauty sleep, fellas.”

“Sorry, Dix,” Brisco wasn’t.

“Goodnight, boys,” she said.

“Night, Dix,” Brisco grumbled. Comet whinnied, then let out a very horselike sigh, settling down with the rest of the family.


End file.
